


Foolishness

by Arkanna



Category: Legacy of Kain
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-21 15:44:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11360523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arkanna/pseuds/Arkanna
Summary: A greater foe is revealed.





	Foolishness

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Legacy of Kain or any of its characters.

The scent of smoke and burning hung heavily in the air. Kain inhaled again and frowned. There was a slight tang of magic and something else, something unnatural.

“Remain here,” he snarled at his fledglings as he vanished into the darkened trees.

A sound snapped his head around and Kain groaned to himself.

“I told you to remain behind!” he growled angrily but barely above a whisper.

They looked at each other then turned back to their Sire with a shrug. Kain shook his head in irritation, massaging his temples.

“Since you've already disobeyed, stay close, stay together and REMAIN SILENT!!” he growled again glaring this time, the barest flicker of power limning his eyes. Fear suddenly overwhelmed the other scents hanging in the air and Kain nodded, certain, this time, that they would obey.

Slowly, he led the way through the trees following a trail only he could detect. The smell of char and burning grew with each passing minute and soon, the very air became oppressive enough that even Kain became hesitant. He drew the Reaver and glared at his fledglings a moment. Young though they were, even they could smell the unnatural magic pervading the forest.

They entered a clearing and stopped. Waves of heat rose in the air twisting the world into a moving weaving distortion of reality. There was not a single blade of grass nor bush nor tree left within the glade and even the very stones looked charred and melted.

Something hissed and Kain narrowed his eyes, “Don't move,” his voice barely even a whisper as he warned his fledglings against anything as stupid as curiosity.

In the center of the clearing, in a small depression barely large enough to hold a handful of water, a small black and red creature wriggled furiously. It hissed again and waves of heat rose from its tiny body, blistering against their skin.

“A salamander,” Kain growled very quietly. _An ANGRY salamander,_ he corrected himself.

“But . . . but they are myth!” Rahab exclaimed then clamped his mouth shut at the glare Kain gave him. Luckily his outburst had gone unnoticed by the small creature.

“They are . . . here. They exist in other realms,” Kain remarked eyeing the thing carefully.

“Then how?” Raziel started quietly. Kain cut him off and motioned for them to follow him deeper into the forest.

Slowly, they walked around the salamander and further into the gloom of the dense trees. Once Kain was satisfied that they were far enough away, he paused and stared at his fledglings.

“There are many things that appear here that should not be. Just as a portal may be opened to the demon realm, such things may be summoned here. They will never come naturally.”

“So . . . someone summoned it?” Turel asked.

“That would appear to be the case. I can already feel the bindings of the spell weakening. It will return to it's own realm soon. WE shall leave it be,” he glared with great meaning at his fledglings.

The heat, the oppressive inferno they had felt in the clearing was more than enough to convince them that it was not worth the risk to themselves, or Kain's ire, to investigate the creature.

“If it was summoned from another realm . . . where is the sorcerer responsible?” Zephon asked a bit timidly.

“We shall see,” Kain remarked, leading them deeper into the woods.

 

In another smaller clearing, they came upon the remains of a shack. For all intents and purposes it was nothing more than a pile of ash slowly drifting away in the slight breeze. The stench of magic hung thick in the air and Kain snorted, noticing the slightly human shaped lump in the midst of the charred building.

“The salamander did this,” Dumah surmised, kicking a pile of ash into a cloud the wind carried away.

“Indeed it did,” Kain agreed.

“And . . . the sorcerer?” Melchiah asked.

“Let this be a lesson to you,” he said to his fledglings pulling a small stone from the ground.

“There are many things in Nosgoth that can harm a vampire. Water, sunlight and fire the most basic. Young ones like you can fall prey to . . . humans,” he said with great distaste, “dire wolves and other creatures far too dark to name. But there is one that is more dangerous than all of them—dangerous enough to destroy this entire world without a single thought.” He let fly the stone, unerringly striking the mound, revealing a blackened skull.

“A lack of common sense.”

 


End file.
